KDP Envoy promotes Al-Maliki’s premiership bid in Washington

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A senior Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official traveled to Washington to lobby for former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and seek US backing for his return to Iraq’s premiership, a source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

Abu Mithaq Al-Masari, a politician familiar with the matter, said that the Kurdish envoy presented Al-Maliki’s role in Iraq’s political process, adding that US officials responded positively.

“The [Shiite] Coordination Framework is awaiting a clear US signal on backing Al-Maliki’s candidacy for the next government,” he noted, stressing that the talks also underscored Iraq’s strategic location, regional influence, and economic significance.

Earlier, the Coordination Framework (CF), the largest parliamentary bloc holding more than 185 seats in Iraq’s 329-member parliament, nominated Al-Maliki as its candidate for prime minister, with his nomination supported by the KDP, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and segments of the Sunni National Political Council. Al-Maliki previously led two governments between 2006 and 2014.

US President Donald Trump has publicly rejected Al-Maliki’s potential return, arguing that Iraq “descended into poverty and total chaos” during his tenure and warning that Washington “will no longer help Iraq” if he is selected.

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